I found an interesting essay about online and offline identity and what the internet has enables young people to davelop in terms of their identities.

http://www.123helpme.com/identity-view.asp?id=218377

Stealing the identity of another is not an honest act. However, the Internet allows many opportunities for exploration of identity and has displayed personal social exploration to fulfill their curiosity. According to Lemke (1998), young people develop a sense of full presence online, living in them semiotically as they make cultural and personal sense of their participation. The shaping of an identity plays a vital role in the online world especially in having sustained online presence within any particular online-group. Turkle (1995) believes identity tinkering online opens the potential for young people to take risks and to explore all aspects of one's identity. 

The anonymity that the medium provides have a powerful, disinhibiting impact on behavior and it allows young people an unique opportunity for self-expression. Turkle (1995) argues that the participation in online identity play is similar to participation in pyschodrama. This ties in with the idea of the game as a means though which experience is formulated (Erikson, 1968). According to Turkle, the identity game helps to bring about psychological maturity. It is achieved by being able to develop different facets of the identity and experiencing variable progress between different identities. 

According to Steven G. (1998) , young people can and do take on second identities to protect their offline from their online identity. Steven (1998) believes young people allow themselves to behave in ways different from offline life, to express formerly unexplored aspects of their personalities, much as they do when wearing masks at a masquerade ball. 

Amber Case (2010) mentioned on TED, Washington DC, (Fig 4A &ump; Fig 4B) the need for maintenance of second self in simultaneous time. Amber (2010) believes good technology does not inhibit one's lifestyle, but enhances it. Being responsible with technology use will be vital to maintaining oneself and making sure that the future generations aware of monitoring themselves. 

Turkle (1995) argues that without coherence, the identity spins off in all directions and that multiplicity can exist only between personalities that can communicate among themselves. Steven G. (1998) states the fragmentation of the individual obstructs the development of the resilent online identity. Ultimately, one can create multiple versions of oneself; different versions of identity can be altered to particular audience. Nonetheless, for most young people these fragmentary social faces are merged into an emotional sense of a single identity. One is able to express more online than one says offline. Thus, hostile exchanges can be found erupting online, then one can abandon that difficult position by abandoning the identity through which it was projected. As mentioned by Steven G (1998), the fragmentation of the identity is primarily a disintegration of the internal psychological aspect. 

Author has moved between online and offline spaces, systematically observing, documenting and talking to young people about their practices and attitudes. Case study research method is defined as “an empirical inquiry that investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context, when the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident and in which multiple sources of evidence are used” (Yin, 1984, p.23). Thus, this research uses a relevant case study, which provides a systematic way of approaching the problem of identity fragmentation in SNS, collecting and analyzing the data and reporting the outcome. The subjects of interviews and direct observations are primarily young people (differing in age, sex, race, sexuality, religion, ethnicity and socioeconomic class), author has also spent time analyzing the profiles and commentary of these young people. 

In examining the practices of young people on SNS, author focuses primarily on Facebook. Many young people began participating because of the opportunity to craft a personal identity in an increasingly popular online community. 

Notes on direction

I went to the library to have a look at past dissertations for theorists and books that I should look at and I found a couple of dissertations that were on being a graphic designer in the music industry. My dissertation is more directed towards the importance of branding in the music industry but one of the dissertations did have a case study on the X-Factor and how it was a factory for pop start, branding pre-prepaired pop artists.

Looking at how branding is used in celebrity culture with a focus on the Music industry.

Investigating the importance of graphic design / branding in celebrity culture with a focus on the Music industry;

• How are obsession with branding has meant that artists need to brand themselves for publicity and to be successful. To be successful you need to be famous / in the lime light - and to achieve this you have to brand yourself. Look at theories of identity,
• How does colour, type, design and semiotic impact achieve this fame. 

BOOKS

Celebrity & Power, Fame in contemporary culture - Marshall
Idendity - Bauman
Media Semiotics - Bignel
Culture & Idendity - Kidd
Essays of Music - Adorno
The Culture Industry - Adorno
Ways of Seeing - Berger
Thinking Pop Culture - Brabazon
A Sound art, behind music, between categories - Licht, A

MAGAZINES

Grafik - Issue 185

ESSAY

Adorno - On Popular Culture

THEORIESTS

Adorno -
Benjamin
Max Horhilimer
Herbert Marcuse

THEORIES

Mass Culture
Pop Culture
High Art
Pseudo Individualism
Standardisation
Aura

PRIMARY RESERACH

Interview with graphic designers in the music industry
Inverview with artists / djs / producers who are trying to get noticed to be successful.

Branding in the Music Industry

http://www.squidoo.com/branding-in-the-music-industry

THE IMPORTANCE OF BRANDING IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

As a student of music industries management, I've learned a great deal about what it takes for a music artist or band to achieve a level of success. What a lot of people don't realize is just how crucial branding in the music industry is. In this day of digital media and social networking, it is both more difficult and easier than ever to get your foot in the door. With so many new artists and bands emerging and trying their hand at a career as performers, it is easy for others to get lost in the shuffle. To really stand out from the crowd and start on your road to success, you need to brand yourself (or your band) and put yourself out there as much as possible.

In this lens I will discuss the importance of branding your band and treating your music career as a business and not just a hobby. I will also share some simple tips on how to get started with the branding process and how to make yourself stand out from the rest.

Establishing Yourself as a Brand

Treat your music as a business

One of the most important and valuable steps you can take in your career as a musician is to build yourself, or your band, as a brand. If you are looking for a successful career in the music industry as a performer, and your ultimate goal is to make a living from your music, then you need to treat yourself as an artist, or your band, as a business.

If you start to take your music seriously and look at is as more than just a hobby, you are well on your way to achieving the success that you are striving for. To make a living from creating and performing music, you need to invest (both time-wise and financially) in your band and market and promote it as you would a product from any other kind of business.

Create a Unique Logo

One of the best ways you can brand your band is to create a logo that people can automatically associate with it. As I specialize in the hard rock/metal genres of music, I have added a picture of the logo of a well-known, successful band - Avenged Sevenfold. The logo - known as the Deathbat - has become synonymous with the band, and millions of people around the world recognize it and automatically know it is Avenged Sevenfold without having to even have the band's name anywhere on it.

Creating a striking and unique logo for your band that can be used on merchandise, posters, banners and around the Internet is a huge step in establishing your band as its own brand. Once people start to see and recognize your logo, it will be much harder for them to forget who you are. If the logo is really cool looking, people will be proud to wear it and show it off for you.

Creating an Image

The image of your band is sometimes just as important as your music. Make sure your band LOOKS like a band and carries an image that your targeted demographic can relate to. Many musicians greatly underestimate the important of image in the music industry and fail to realize that the business has moved beyond just the sounds of a band. Image goes beyond just the visual aesthetics, too. How you carry yourself and behave also plays a huge part in how people see you. Aspire to be a band that people can look up to in one way or another. Send a message that your fans can take on board and give them something to BELIEVE in.

The importance of branding

Any marketing guru will tell you that the biggest and most important aspect of marketing is branding. This is as essential in the music business as it is in any other. Potential fans need to be able to remember and associate with you. With so many other artists and bands out there, it is important that you take the necessary steps to stand out from the crowd and not just fade into the background. Once you start to treat your band as a business and understand the importance and value of branding yourself, things will start to fall into place and you'll be taking steps in the right direction. The brand of your band is the foundation of your business, and once the foundation is laid you can build upon it. Without a starting block, a business cannot be built. When it comes to your career, you don't want to be going around in circles, you want to move forward.

If you're serious about your music career, want to learn more about marketing in the music industry and are ready to take your career to the next level, Music Marketing Classroom provides some valuable information in the form of "cheat sheets" using non-traditional strategies you can implement to expand your fanbase

BLOG; the new age marketing

http://newagemarketing.wordpress.com/2010/02/03/branding-in-the-music-industry/

BRANDING IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY

February 3, 2010 at 11:40 pm Sushant Gole Leave a comment

The great Phillip Kotler says that a brand is a seller’s promise to deliver a specific set of features, benefits and service consistently. According to Al Ries, a brand is a symbol, a name or a logo that someone owns in the minds of the customer.These definitions of a brand holds true across industries. The music industry may work differently than other traditional industries, but then is it so different as to be alien to the concept of a brand? Do we have brands in the music industry?

Take a look at the picture on the left. Does it remind you of anyone?  It  would be next to impossible to find a person who listens to music and not know the pictures represents the great King of Pop Michael Jackson. The man was a perfect example of a branding in the music industry.The signature Fedora hat and sequined glove symbolized none other than him. They represent the symbol part that the definition of a brand talks about.

Now take a look at this picture on the left again. The name itself screams the style of music they make. Heavy Metal. And they have remained loyal to their name throughout their music career with heavy metal songs. No person will ever look at the name and buy a CD expecting to find mellow romantic songs inside. That is delivering a specific set of features consistently part of brand definition.

I once read that the great guitarist Eric Clapton built his own guitar by using parts of three Fender Stratocaster guitars and named it ‘Blackie’. I was touched by the bond that he shared with his guitar to the point of naming it. Now when I look at it critically, with all due respects to his love, Clapton had been shrewd. He had created a brand out of his guitar. That again was a symbol, something which reminded people of Clapton every time they saw his guitar.

These are just some of the examples to make you aware of branding in music Industry. In the music industry, branding is as prevalent as it would be in any other industry.

ARTICLE: The changing face of music tie-ups

http://www.brandrepublic.com/analysis/1133002/

The proliferation of digital music has led big brands to shift toward collaborations with music artists across a variety of platforms

By 1986, when Sam Cooke's Wonderful World reached number two in the UK singles chart 26 years after its original release, due to its use in a Levi's 501s TV ad, the power of marrying a brand with music was plain to see.

Music and brands: Old school vs new wave

Case Study: Smirnoff and Madonna

Indeed, the 'Levi's effect' propelled classic tracks by artists such as Marvin Gaye, The Clash and T Rex back into the public consciousness throughout the 80s and 90s, as well as helping tracks by unknowns such as Babylon Zoo and Mr Oizo become chart-topping hits.

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Sweet spot

Connecting with consumers through their passion for music has long been a sweet spot for marketers, with the medium enabling companies to bring their brand story to life. Pepsi's recent announcement that its first global campaign will focus on music proves the point. Live music sponsorship, too, has been favoured by brands as a route to winning over customers.

With so much music now being consumed via digital channels such as Spotify, Last.fm and Vevo, there are more ways than before for brands to forge deeper relationships both with artists and their fans.

Coca-Cola, which has a relationship with the music industry that dates back to ads featuring Ray Charles almost 50 years ago, recently struck a global partnership with Spotify to collaborate on technology and content. The digital music service also partnered rock band Primal Scream and Levi's last year for a series of gigs in the latter's store on London's Regent Street.

Significant evolution

Daniel Ek, co-founder and chief executive of Spotify, described the Coca-Cola deal as a significant evolution, noting: 'A young tech company partnering a 125-year-old company isn't something you would normally see.'

Adam Williams, UK sales director at Spotify (right), says that the platform has noted a surge of 'in-depth integrations' between brands and artists, often with a level of experiential marketing involved.

'(Brands have) become a lot more focused on creating a rich experience across multiple platforms, as opposed to using music on a single ad to create a sonic trigger,' he adds.

Unilever is another to have tapped into the growth in digital music. It recently became the first company to sign an exclusive deal with online music video-sharing site Vevo in the UK. Its Lynx deodorant brand now sponsors Vevo's Summer Six programme, which follows six artists, including Chiddy Bang and Benga, through the UK summer festival schedule, providing co-branded digital content.

Heightened credentials

'Consumer perception of brands and their credentials can be heightened through the right collaboration with musicians,' says Selena Sykes, the Lynx marketing manager who led the campaign. 'Bringing both worlds together creates a relationship whereby a brand is able to talk to people with similar interests, and vice versa.'

According to Vevo's UK managing director, Jonathan Lewis (right), artists are 'no longer reliant on traditional models to get their message out'; digital music platforms enable brands to partner acts to do something 'meaningful'.

He claims brands can create a 'package of content' on Vevo that can be 'amplified to a wide network and distributed to a broad audience' and used on social media.

Lewis adds that artists are now much more 'savvy' and willing to participate with brands 'in a big way', citing UK rapper Professor Green - who has deals with Puma, Doritos, ZTE and Huawei - as an example.

Brands over labels

Likewise, for music producer Mark Ronson, who recorded and released a track with Coca-Cola for its Olympics 'Move to the beat' activity, recording with a brand is no different from working with a record label.

'As long as the music you make is good and you're not compromising the level of the material, who cares whether you're making it for Columbia, Universal or Coca-Cola?' he told Marketing in February.

Dom Hodge, planning director at specialist music marketing agency Frukt, agrees that, with the music industry changing 'dramatically', artists need support to develop. 'Big brands can give artists the reach and scale a label can't always offer,' he says, although he argues that brands should 'add to and complement' the existing support infrastructure, rather than replace it. Drinks manufacturer Diageo is another company that has long used musicians in its marketing.

It recently struck a year-long partnership with Madonna (see case study, below). Meanwhile, its vodka brand, Smirnoff, enlisted unsigned artist Sun for Moon to cover Kiss' rock anthem Crazy Crazy Nights for an ad campaign, which it then went on to sell on iTunes worldwide.

Dual strategy

For Michelle Klein, vice-president, Smirnoff global marketing, communications and digital at Diageo, digital music marketing is about creating a 'dual brand strategy' with an artist for 'richer, more integrated programmes'. She adds: 'It's not just about sponsored performances any more. I don't think that is meaningful for a consumer.'

Experts insist that brands must stay 'authentic', picking an artist who is true to the brand and its audience, and making sure there is a mutual understanding.

With digital media offering opportunities to forge meaningful relationships with consumers, many more brands will be tempted into music tie-ups. However, to achieve the harmonious musical matrimony they strive for, staying in tune with consumers' tastes is key. l Additional reporting by Loulla-Mae Eleftheriou-Smith

MUSIC AND BRANDS: OLD SCHOOL VS NEW WAVE

Old model

A big-name brand ambassador in a heavyweight TV campaign

In 1984, for example, Pepsi signed Michael Jackson and his brothers to star in a highly publicised campaign for the brand, which introduced the strapline 'The choice of a new generation'.

Top-tier brand sponsorship of a music tour or venue

O2 struck a deal with Live Nation in 2008 to rebrand the Academy music venues, previously known as the Carling Academies, in a £22.5m deal. It complemented the brand's £36m sponsorship of The O2 venue, formerly the Millennium Dome.

New model

Collaboration with artists

Coca-Cola's Olympics campaign, 'Move to the beat', gave producer and DJ Mark Ronson the freedom to create his own track, providing the platform for its production and release.

Pepsi's latest music initiative, 'Live for now', includes an interactive digital platform that pulls in the latest trending topics from Twitter, while its marketing will feature pop stars Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, and a revival of its association with the late Michael Jackson.

Collaboration with consumers

O2 stepped up its location-based rewards service, Priority Moments, staging an exclusive Kasabian gig on New Year's Eve. Consumers who couldn't get tickets were able to watch it on the brand's dedicated YouTube channel.

CASE STUDY: SMIRNOFF AND MADONNA

What happened?

Last August, Diageo kicked off a year-long partnership with Madonna as part of Smirnoff's Nightlife Exchange Project, which aimed to get 10m people in 50 countries to share 'original' experiences.

What activity did it involve?

The first part was a drive to discover the world's best unknown dancers, through a competition in which hopefuls created a 60-second video of themselves dancing and uploaded it to Smirnoff's or Madonna's Facebook page.

In March, Smirnoff released a remixed 'Nightlife Edition' of MDNA, Madonna's latest album.

In the UK, a limited number of fans could download it for free. Smirnoff also printed a 'VIP access card' on limited-edition packs, giving fans access to a free remix track to download. It has recently rolled out an ad campaign featuring the artist, while the brand also features in a Madonna video.

Why did Smirnoff work with Madonna?

Diageo has a track record working both with world-famous artists, such as DJ Tiesto, and unknowns, such as Sun for Moon. The partnership of global superstar and global brand helps both parties to gain mass exposure.

According to Michelle Klein, vice-president, Smirnoff global marketing, the brand 'listens' to its fans when selecting artists.

The idea behind the Facebook giveaway was to give Smirnoff fans a 'high value' item.